Wednesday, 8 April 2015

7 Irresistibly Healthy Chicken Taco Recipes

Get Your Taco and Eat it Too!
The great news is that it’s still possible to enjoy food while eating healthy. The biggest factor is having a solid repertoire of recipes on hand.
To help you stay on track while still enjoying delicious and satisfying food, let’s look at 7 different and delicious chicken taco recipes that are totally healthy and pack a nutrition punch!
When it comes to these kinds of comfort foods, it only takes a few simple steps to optimize their nutritional content in a way that supports a healthy lifestyle.
First, make sure any processed or bleached grains are replaced with whole grains where possible.
Second, you’ve got to cut down on the fat. You can easily do this by baking or grilling meats rather than frying them, and use healthy oils like extra-virgin olive oil or this fat-burning Nutiva Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil.
Third, you want to make sure that you maximize the amount and variety of vegetables in these foods. Go for fresh ingredients only, including fresh herbs, peppers, and leafy greens, all of which are great for boosting metabolism.
Lastly, always make sure you include a healthy side dish, like a leafy green salad or one of these Quinoa Salad Recipes. This ensures that you’re getting all the rich nutrients and vitamins you can get.
Chicken Taco Recipes to Enjoy on a Healthy Diet
For all of these recipes, you’re going to prepare the chicken the same way. Depending on the number of people you’ll be serving, aim for 2 to 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts.

I recommend first tenderizing the chicken with a meat tenderizer, then coating it in a bit of olive oil (1 teaspoon per chicken breast). Then season the chicken with oregano, chipotle chilies, and Cajun spice (as desired). Place the chicken on a piece of parchment paper in a shallow baking dish, and bake at 350 degree for about 30 minutes.
When cooked through, remove the chicken from the oven, slice into strips, and use in the following taco recipes:

7. Lettuce Wrapped Chicken Tacos
Ingredients: 1 head of ice berg or romaine lettuce, 1-2 tomatoes (diced), 1 small bunch of green onion (chopped), grilled red and green peppers, salsa as desired
Directions: Carefully remove a few of the biggest leaves of lettuce, making sure you don’t damage them. Rinse and dry them, then use them as your wraps. Place chicken and veggies inside, top with salsa, and carefully wrap and enjoy. This is a great way to cut down on unwanted carbs!